Provost Honors Faculty Members as 2026-2027 Baylor Fellows
Baylor Fellows Program recognizes faculty members across the disciplines who exemplify excellence in teaching and model resilience amid the changing landscape of higher education
2026-2027 Baylor Fellows: (Top Row, L to R) - Ginger Hanchey, Ph.D. (Senior Fellow), Justin Adeyemi, Ed.D., Jessica Akers, Ph.D., Ashley Barrett, Ph.D., and Luke Bennett, Ed.D. (Bottom Row, L to R) - Cari Edison, M.B.A., Mickey Langlais, Ph.D., Whitney Luce, M.S.W., Maverick Moore, M.A., and Rachel Wilkerson, Ph.D.
Contact: Lori Fogleman, 254-709-5959
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Ten Baylor University faculty members have been selected by Interim Vice President and Provost Lee Nordt, Ph.D., to serve as 2026-2027 Baylor Fellows for their excellence in teaching and commitment to advancing Baylor’s mission of transformational education. Under this year’s theme, “Endurance in Education: Sustaining Excellence in a Season of Headwinds,” the Baylor Fellows will explore what it means to sustain excellent teaching and meaningful student formation amid the significant pressures facing higher education today.
“This year’s theme recognizes something Baylor faculty are experiencing every day: excellence in teaching does not occur in a vacuum,” said Toby Brooks, Ph.D., director of Baylor’s Academy for Teaching and Learning and clinical professor in the Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences. “Faculty are navigating changing student needs, resource constraints, rapidly evolving technologies, institutional change and a broader higher education environment that can make an already demanding profession even more challenging. What distinguishes this year’s Fellows is not simply that they have endured those challenges, but that they have continued to teach with rigor, invest deeply in students and remain committed to Baylor’s mission.”
The 2026-2027 Baylor Fellows are:
| Ginger Hanchey, Ph.D., senior lecturer of English and undergraduate program director for literature and creative writing, College of Arts & Sciences, and the 2026-2027 Senior Fellow |
| Justin Adeyemi, Ed.D., LAT, ATC, lecturer, Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation, Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences |
| Jessica Akers, Ph.D., BCBA-D, associate professor and graduate program director, Department of Educational Psychology, Moody School of Education |
| Ashley Barrett, Ph.D., professor and graduate program director, Department of Communication, College of Arts & Sciences |
| Luke Bennett, Ed.D., assistant professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Moody School of Education |
| Cari Edison, M.B.A., teaching professor, Hankamer School of Business |
| Mickey Langlais, Ph.D., CFLE, assistant professor, Department of Human Sciences and Design, Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences |
| Whitney Luce, M.S.W., director of practicum education and clinical associate professor, Diana R. Garland School of Social Work |
| Maverick Moore, M.A., senior lecturer of film and digital media, College of Arts & Sciences |
| Rachel Wilkerson, Ph.D., lecturer of data science, School of Engineering and Computer Science |
Launched in 2011 and sponsored by Baylor’s Academy for Teaching and Learning, the Baylor Fellows program honors faculty members who exhibit excellence in teaching and who desire to further transform student dispositions, thinking, knowledge and skills through teaching innovation. Selected faculty members receive an award of $1,845 in honor of the year of Baylor’s founding and the title of “Baylor Fellow” for the year of their appointment.
Sustaining excellence
The 2026-2027 Fellows were selected from a strong group of nominees whose colleagues identified them as educators who have navigated significant challenges without sacrificing rigor, relationships or mission. Throughout the academic year, the Fellows will consider how faculty can sustain excellence while responding thoughtfully to changing circumstances, including how modeling resilience can help educators develop endurance, adaptability and a commitment to excellence in their students.
“We talk a great deal in higher education about the need for students to learn resilience, and it is something our best and brightest faculty have already learned. This roster of 2026-27 Baylor Fellows are certainly great examples,” said DeAnna Toten Beard, Ph.D., vice provost for faculty affairs at Baylor. “I am excited to see how they use the Fellow cohort experience to further incorporate student formation of intellectual and moral perseverance into their classes.”
Drawing upon their own experiences and expertise, Baylor Fellows will identify opportunities within their courses or broader educational practice to explore strategies for sustaining student learning, relationships and formation during periods of challenge and change.
Following best practices of evidence-based scholarship in teaching and learning, Fellows will develop approaches for assessing and reflecting upon their work. Through monthly cohort discussions and other opportunities for engagement, they also will share ideas, collaborate across disciplines and contribute what they learn to the broader Baylor academic community.
All full-time faculty members, regardless of rank, are eligible to serve as Baylor Fellows. Nominations are solicited from academic deans, former Baylor Fellows and members of the Academy for Teaching and Learning’s faculty advisory body. Baylor Fellows are selected by the Office of the Provost.
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for nearly 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 800 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu.
ABOUT THE ACADEMY FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING
Baylor University’s Academy for Teaching and Learning exists to inspire, support and advance a flourishing academic community where every educator is equipped for success, committed to growth and teaching with care.